Yes Virginia, there is such thing as an ‘accidental discharge’.

OK, as one of those pricks who always said ‘there’s no such thing as an accidental discharge, only ‘negligent discharges’; I stand corrected.

Here we see an equipment malfunction that demonstrates just how CRITICAL the rules of firearms safety are:

All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.

Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.

Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target.

Identify your target, and what is behind it.

That said, I’m not a fan of using the slide release to ‘slide forward’, nor of using the trigger to de-cock the hammer. If there’s a de-cocker, use it. For slide forward, I prefer to rack the slide, as you would during a reload, or malfunction. One motion for all makes a ‘stress failure’ far less likely.